Master Detectives
by AmberLS123
Summary: A comparison of The Great Mouse Detective and Sherlock Holmes
1. Chapter 1

Master Detectives:

A Comparison of the Great Mouse Detective and Sherlock Holmes

by ALS123

***Author's Note: First off, I own NONE of the movies, books, etc. mentioned in this, and I tried to give credit to the original creators throughout. These are merely some observations I've made about the similarities between the movie The Great Mouse Detective and Sherlock Holmes. I'm sure there's more that I've missed, but this is just my own personal views of two of my most favorite things in the universe. Enjoy!**

Anyone who has ever seen Disney's The Great Mouse Detective, which is based off of the Basil of Baker Street books by Eve Titus, knows that the hero of the story, Basil, is obviously the Sherlock Holmes of the mouse world. But what other traits does one of Disney's most underrated films share with the famous canon by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle?

First off is the time period in which they take place. The opening title of The Great Mouse Detective shows that it is 1897 in London. Sherlock Holmes' cases spread over a large time period, from I think the early 1880s or so in _A Study in Scarlet_ to 1914 in _His Last Bow_. So it's safe to say that both take place in late Victorian England.

After Flaversham's kidnapping and the opening credits, we are introduced to Dr. David Q. Dawson, obviously modeled after Dr. John H. Watson. Both are military men. Watson explains in _A Study in Scarlet_ how that he served as a surgeon in the 2nd Afghan War, but was sent back to England after being injured in the shoulder by a Jezail and also suffering from some tropical illness. (Interestingly, in later stories, Watson indicates that it was his _leg_ that had been shot.) Dr. Dawson is much more vague, saying that he had "just arrived in London after lengthy service in Afghanistan."

The two doctors are also alike in their personalities. Both show great concern for others: for example, Watson with his patients and Holmes' clients, and Dawson with the little girl Olivia. I especially thought that Dawson showed a strong sense of protectiveness toward Olivia throughout the movie, from taking her hand in hand to Basil's and making sure that he would do something to help her, to keeping an eye on her in the toy shop, to doing whatever it took to rescue her from Ratigan's clutches. Both doctors are also very brave. Watson was always known to carry his trusty service revolver during Holmes' cases (which saved their lives more than once). And who could forget the memorable mousetrap scene where Basil has just about given up all hope, but Dawson is able to encourage him even in the face of certain death. So both doctors are of course very supportive of their detective friends, putting up with their eccentric habits and sticking with them to the end.

The only major difference I see between Dawson and Watson is their appearance. I know, of course…one's a human and one's a mouse…can't get much different than that! But I guess what I mean is their body shape. Watson's friend described him as being "thin as a lath" (not sure what _that_ is) in _A Study in Scarlet_. Of course, after being injured and sick for months, I suppose he would be very thin. But this is much different from most portrayals of Watson, which show him as being short and chubby, as Dawson is. (This is part of why I loved Jude Law as Watson in the latest Sherlock Holmes movie, although I can't _believe_ they made him taller than Holmes!...but perhaps we'll save that for another time.)

Holmes and Watson actually make personal appearances in The Great Mouse Detective; well, at least we catch glimpses of them. As Dawson and Olivia approach Basil's flat at 221 ½ B Baker Street, which happens to be located directly under Holmes' flat, we see Holmes' silhouetted against the top window as he plays the violin. We also see this same silhouette at the end of the movie as well. We can also see Holmes' and Watson's shadows on the wall when Basil and the others go to see Toby. I believe the dialogue between Holmes and Watson in this scene comes from a radio show of "the Adventure of the Red-Headed League" (This info comes from the Game's Afoot! Website. If you haven't been there, go check it out. Seriously.)

As Olivia looks around Basil's flat, we can see how much of a clutterbug he is. Untidiness is one of the many traits Basil shares with Holmes. In "The Musgrave Ritual," Watson tells how Holmes keeps his "tobacco in the toe end of a Persian slipper, and his unanswered correspondence transfixed by a jack-knife into the very center of his wooden mantelpiece," and also expresses his horror at Holmes' destroying documents. Basil's flat is much the same; papers, books, portraits, and other random articles have accumulated on his mantle, and as the camera sweeps around the room, we see Basil's chemical table, which if full of curious looking items, and an absolute mess. Basil also uses various things such as a grandfather clock and even a suit of armor on which to hang his clothes, rather than a normal coat rack or closet.

So in the next scene, we finally meet Basil of Baker Street…or, well, a rather obese Chinese mouse. But we learn that this is merely one of Basil's many disguises. He actually closely resembles Holmes: he is very tall compared to the other mice shown in the movie, and has a long, hawk-like nose like Holmes. And of course, they share the same fashion sense: Basil dons the famous Inverness cape and deerstalker cap, and even wears a robe when relaxing at home as Holmes does. Even Basil's name has significance. Basil Rathbone is perhaps one of the most famous actors to portray Holmes, and I believe Eve Titus chose the name "Basil" as a tribute to him. It's also interesting to note that one of Holmes' aliases was "Captain Basil" in "The Adventure of Black Peter," and that Basil and Dawson go undercover as sailors later in the movie.

Next, Basil displays his brilliant skills of deduction. He is able at a glance to know that Dawson is a Doctor who just arrived from military duty in Afghanistan just by observing a single stitch on his coat sleeve! Holmes is also well-known for his methods of deduction, and could also deduce a person's occupation and other such information by observing things like their hands, knees, sleeves, and shoes. When Watson appeared astounded, Holmes merely stated that he could see everything that he could, but that he did not _observe_. Dawson also shows amazement when Basil does it, and Basil just says, "Elementary, my dear Dawson."

That phrase is actually another reference to Sherlock Holmes. Although the phrase, "Elementary, my dear Watson" is very well-known, Holmes never actually said it. In "The Crooked Man," it actually reads: "'Elementary,' said he." I'm not sure where "Elementary, my dear Watson" came from…but it was used in later films, which is probably how it gained popularity.

Next, to Dawson's horror, Basil shoots a pile of pillows, scattering feathers everywhere. One of Holmes little eccentricities was that he often resorted to indoor target practice when he was bored, but he aimed at a wall, carving the initials V. R., which I think stands for _Victoria Regina_, or "Victoria Reigns." (At least, that's what the footnote in my book says).

Hearing the commotion, poor Mrs. Judson bursts in and berates Basil for destroying her pillows. Of course, we can see that she is clearly based off of Holmes' landlady, Mrs. Hudson (Watson/Dawson, Judson/Hudson…see the pattern?). Contrary to what most people think, she is NOT their maid…she is their landlady, meaning they pay her to live there. Actually, that's what brought Holmes and Watson together in _A Study in Scarlet_: Holmes had been considering moving in there, but he couldn't afford it himself, and since Watson was in need of a place to stay also, they decided to be roommates and split the rent. Anyway, both ladies have their hands full with their tenants, what with their admitting some rather unsavory characters inside, filling the house with noxious fumes from their chemistry experiments (and also the risk of blowing up the place to bits), among other things. I think both ladies must have LOTS of patience, considering they haven't thrown their tenants out on the streets yet. While Mrs. Judson doesn't play that large of a role in the movie, Mrs. Hudson on the other hand often proves to be a big help to Holmes. **(Warning: Spoiler Alert!) **In "The Adventure of the Empty House," Holmes has a bust of himself sitting in front of the window to make his enemies think he is there when he is really elsewhere. But in order to make it look realistic, he has Mrs. Hudson crawl on her hands and knees in order to stay hidden as she rotates the bust every so often, making it appear as if it has moved. Mrs. Judson is probably most famous for her delightful cheese crumpets.

When Basil examines the bullet from the gun under the microscope, he cries out in despair when he realizes he has come to yet another dead end, and falls into a sort of depression. This is another trait he shares with Holmes. He would become depressed especially if there was nothing to do. He told Watson that if he had no work, his mind was like a racing engine, tearing itself to pieces. To fill these periods of inactivity, he would play the violin, another trait that Basil shares: although in Eve Titus's books Basil was a horrible violin player, but quite excellent with the flute (another tidbit from The Game's Afoot!) Holmes would also perform various chemical experiments to fill his boredom. But when those were not enough, he would resort to cocaine use, which wasn't illegal in England at that time. Watson did not approve of this, saying that this was Holmes' only vice. But Basil only smoked a pipe and cigarette in the movie.

To try to cope with his depression, Basil picks up the violin and begins to play a sad, melancholy tune. At first, he shows no interest in helping Olivia, that is, until she mentions that he was kidnapped by a peglegged bat. Basil's mood changes completely as he deduces that her father was kidnapped by a henchman who works for the nefarious Professor Ratigan. Here he points to a picture of the rat on the mantelpiece. This reminds me of the portrait of Irene Adler that Holmes kept from "A Scandal in Bohemia." (Now, I'm not saying Basil has a portrait of Ratigan because of _romantic_ interests…*shudder*. I mean I think both detectives kept those portraits because although they were foes, they held a lot of respect for them. Adler, whom Holmes referred to as "_the_ woman," was one of the only people to ever outsmart Holmes, and Basil describes Ratigan as a "genius" and "the Napoleon of Crime.)

We can definitely see that Ratigan, Basil's nemesis, is based off of Sherlock Holmes' archenemy, Professor James Moriarity. From their titles, of course both villains are Professors, or ex-professors, as is more likely. They are both incredibly smart, equal in intelligence with Holmes and Basil. They are the head of vast criminal organizations, with many subordinates and thugs at their command (although I highly doubt that Moriarity's men danced and sang about their evil plans…but hey, you never know…). And both absolutely HATE the detectives for their meddling. Ratigan seems a bit more dapper, getting his thugs to do most of the dirty work. But he's still pretty dastardly, as the thugs sing about him drowning widows and orphans. Holmes' first encounter with Moriarity is one of my favorite scenes in the entire canon. Both Holmes and Basil spent most of their careers trying to defeat their archenemies, and both nearly end up being killed themselves in the process.

The major thing with Ratigan is that he despises being called a rat. In Eve Titus' books, he was actually just a very large mouse (yep, another fact from The Games Afoot). But in the movie, it is clear that he is a rat…however, if anyone dares to call him that, they become a snack for Ratigan's rather large cat, Felicia, who he summons with a ring of a small bell kept in his pocket.

**To be continued in Part 2…**__


	2. Chapter 2

Master Detectives:

A Comparison of the Great Mouse Detective and Sherlock Holmes

by ALS123

**Continued from Part 1…**

In the next scene, Olivia has just finished telling Basil what happened to her father. Basil paces the room deep in thought, smoking his pipe. He is clearly excited about the case, especially since Ratigan is involved. At one point he turns to Olivia and says, "Now, you're _certain _you've told me everything? The _slightest _detail may be important." This is a point that Sherlock Holmes always stressed. He would urge his clients to tell him every detail, even if it seemed insignificant, because he said the details were often the most important in a case.

Moments later, the peg-legged bat Fidget is spotted outside the window. Basil and Dawson race outside to catch him, but he has disappeared, although he has left his hat behind. Basil snatches it away from Dawson and rushes back inside, and explains that they need someone else to help them find the bat.

And so Basil leads them to Holmes' flat above them. After Holmes and Watson leave, our heroes emerge from a hole in the wall, and the camera sweeps around the room, giving us a view of Holmes' sitting room, which is very similar to Basil's. on the bookshelf, we see several little odds and ends, including the famous bust of Holmes used in "The Adventure of the Empty House." As the camera moves, we also see a portrait of a woman above the fireplace…Irene Adler perhaps? Basil also walks past Holmes' violin by the chair.

And now, we meet Toby. In this movie, Toby is a playful basset hound that appears to be Holmes' pet. But in the canon, Toby belonged to a man named Sherman, and was described as "an ugly, long-haired, lop-eared creature, half spaniel and half lurcher, brown and white in color, with a very clumsy waddling gait" (_The Sign of Four_). But both dogs have an excellent sense of smell, and aid the detectives in following the scent of the villains.

Next is the toyshop scene, in which Basil demonstrates his brilliant deductive powers once again. Sadly, Olivia gets kidnapped by Fidget, but Dawson finds a list that the bat dropped, and so he and Basil race back to Baker Street to examine it and find out where it came from. As Basil looks at it with his magnifying glass, he says, "Offhand I can deduce very little. Only that the words are written with a broad pointed quill pen, which has spattered twice…that the paper is of…native Mongolian manufacture…no watermark. And has…been gummed, if I'm not very much in error…by a bat who has been drinking Rodents Delight." This is almost a direct copy of what Holmes says in "The Man with the Twisted Lip": "Let us now see the letter. Ha! there has been an enclosure here! ...Written in pencil upon the fly-leaf of a book, octavo size, no water-mark. Hum! Posted to-day in Gravesend by a man with a dirty thumb. Ha! And the flap has been gummed, if I am not very much in error, by a person who had been chewing tobacco." Basil observes that there is a smudge of coal dust on the paper, and then performs an experiment on it in which he deduces where it came from. Holmes also performed chemical experiments. In A _Study in Scarlet_, Watson first met Holmes in a laboratory, and he notes that Holmes has several discolored stains on his hands from the chemicals he deals with.

And so Basil and Dawson set off to the only place where the sewer connects to the waterfront…a pub called "The Rat Trap." However, they go undercover as sailors, as mentioned earlier. This is Basil's second disguise (remember the fat Chinese mouse at the beginning?). Holmes of course used disguises as well…from an injured parson ("A Scandal in Bohemia") to an old lady (I don't remember which story that was, but I know he did it!) He was also an excellent actor, and often feigned illness, such as in "The Adventure of the Dying Detective." Basil also proves he is quite capable of acting, from the way he walks to his gruff voice.

As the showgirls sing, Basil notices Fidget enter the bar. After a bar fight breaks out, Fidget disappears, and Basil and Dawson have their chance to follow him through a trapdoor behind the bar. They follow him into the sewers where he eventually leads them to Ratigan's lair. But it was a trap all along, and Ratigan appears with his minions and begins taunting Basil. This is actually the first time we see the two enemies meet in the movie, and it's easy to see their hatred for each other from how Basil stands stiff and straight with his fists balled up by his side and how Ratigan rips off his mustache and makes fun of his disguise. I believe there are only two or three instances in the canon where Holmes and Moriarity meet face to face, all mentioned in "The Final Problem": there's their first meeting where Moriarity shows up unexpectedly at Holmes' flat and warns him to drop the case; Holmes and Watson also see him chasing them from a distance as they escape on a train; then there's the final showdown at the Reichenbach Falls.

Ratigan's minions join him in making fun of the detective for walking into his trap, and Basil falls into another depression. He hangs his head and just loses the will to fight as they tie him and Dawson to a mousetrap. As Ratigan monologues about his evil plans, Basil remains silent while Dawson seethes with anger. But, when Ratigan leaves them to their doom, Dawson tries to cheer him up. He encourages Basil, saying "You can stop that villain…I know you can save us…" This is another trait that Dawson shares with Watson: both look up to and admire the detectives.

Long story short, Basil eventually regains his senses and is able to come up with a brilliant means of escaping Ratigan's overkill deathtrap. Basil, Dawson, and Olivia then rush off on Toby's back to stop Ratigan from fulfilling his plans of taking over the kingdom. After saving Queen Mousetoria (based on Queen Victoria of course) from the jaws of Ratigan's cat Felicia, releasing Flaversham, and exposing Ratigan for the fraud he is, total chaos erupts. Fidget grabs Olivia in the pandemonium, and Ratigan escapes, threatening to kill her if Basil follows. But Basil uses his wits once again to make their own airship out of a British flag, a matchbox, and balloons, and they chase the villain through the air above London. Basil manages to leap onto the dirigible, but as Ratigan looks behind him, he loses control of the ship, and it crashes into the clock face of Big Ben.

The fight between Basil and Ratigan that follows resembles the final showdown between Holmes and Moriarity, which took place at the top of the Reichenbach Falls in Switzerland. In "The Final Problem," Moriarity attacked Holmes, and it was believed that both perished by falling into the waterfall locked in combat. But because of fan's outrage at Doyle killing off the hero, he was resurrected in "The Adventure of the Empty House," where it is revealed that by using his knowledge of baritsu, a Japanese style of wrestling, Holmes managed to slip out of his grasp before the villain lost his footing and toppled into the abyss. Holmes is also described as being an expert at singlestick, fencing, and bare knuckle fighting.

A similar battle occurs in this movie, although it appears that Basil is greatly outmatched, at least physically. As Ratigan's true form emerges, his claws extend and he begins attacking Basil viciously. When he first grabs Basil from behind, Basil does manage to slip out of his grasp…perhaps a similar baritsu move taken from Holmes. Many people may wonder why Basil didn't fight back, but I think it's because Ratigan was so much bigger than him, and after those first couple of blows, poor Basil was just too weak to fight back. If you listen closely as the blows land, it sounds like he's choking on his own blood. Ratigan knocks Basil further down the arm of the clock, closer and closer to the edge. The rat delivers one final blow, causing Basil to fall down towards the ground. But Basil manages to grab onto the remnants of Ratigan's dirigible. As he rings the small bell stolen from Rattigan (just when did he manage to snag that?) the clock strikes the hour, and the reverberations cause Ratigan to fall off the ledge. He grabs onto Basil, and their combined weight is too much for the wreckage, and they both tumble toward the ground. But moments later, we see Basil emerge from the mist as he uses the propeller from Ratigan's airship to fly up to his friends. I guess this might could be seen as a parallel to Holmes escaping from the same fate at the Reichenbach Falls. Also, as Ratigan falls towards the ground, he lets out a terrible scream. In "The Adventure of the Empty House," Holmes recalls Moriarity fell over into the falls "with a horrible scream," and as Holmes climbed the rock wall to try to get to safety, he "seemed to hear Moriarity's voice screaming at me out of the abyss." I imagine Basil may have had a similar experience as he rode the propeller to safety.

The next scene shows our heroes back at Baker Street, and we see a newspaper clipping of Basil and Dawson being honored by the queen herself for foiling Ratigan's evil plans. Holmes worked for royalty or people in higher authority very few times, and surprisingly declined a knighthood in "The Adventure of the Three Garridebs." But looking closely at the article, it only says "medal to be given," so it seems Basil was not knighted, at least this time. After Olivia and her father leave, Dawson states that it's time for him to be on his way as well, and Basil expresses his disappointment. Then a knock sounds upon the door, and Dawson admits a lovely lady into the house, who turns out to be a client in need of Basil's help. Basil seizes the opportunity and to Dawson's surprise, introduces him as Basil's associate "with whom I do _all _my cases. Isn't that right, Doctor?" Holmes and Watson were actually roommates at first, but eventually he became interested in Holmes cases, and offered to chronicle them at the end of A Study in Scarlet. I assume that since the Flaversham case is Dawson's first with Basil, it would be the first one that he would write about. But Dawson does stay, as he says, "From that time on, Basil and I grew very close, and over the years we had many cases together. But I shall always look back on that first with the most fondness…my introduction to Basil of Baker Street…the Great Mouse Detective!"

So, I hope you have enjoyed reading this. As I said before, I'm sure there's some things I've missed, so feel free to leave any comments you might have. I know it has given me a greater appreciation for all the wonderful people who created this movie and for Mr. Doyle and his creation. Thank you for reading!

***NOTE: once again, I own NONE of the movies, books, etc. mentioned in this, and if I quoted anything from a book or movie, I gave credit to the original creators.** **The Great Mouse Detective and its characters are © Disney and Eve Titus. All the Sherlock Holmes stories and characters mentioned belong to the great Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.**


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